He said the FIHA was right in stating that investment would be affected if the Bill was put into effect in its current form.

[PIR editor’s note: The Fijian word "qoliqoli" describes traditional fishing rights. The Bill proposes to return control of the traditional fishing grounds from the Government to the native owners, who will be represented by the NLTB. The Fiji Islands Hotel and Tourism Association has warned that its members will have no choice but to close down if the Qoliqoli Bill is made into law. ]

He said their submission should be critically reviewed and not taken out of context.

The researcher, Mr. John Fairfax said fish depletion is affecting Solomon Islands due to over fishing.

Fairfax, who was in the country to conduct the research, highlighted this in a report presented to Minister of Finance Bartholomew Ulufa’alu last week.

He said there is already initial evidence that indicated the collapse of fish stocks.

One of this, Fairfax said, was the collapse of the subsistence barter trade economy, which now resulted in increased hardship, and poverty, causing impact on the fledging SI monetary economy that essentially collapsed.

"Evidence of serious and general fish depletion is not difficult to find. A professional fisherman in an outboard motor has to travel longer distances to find and catch fish," the Australian researcher...

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Sept. 5) - Fans in Fiji yesterday swarmed New Zealand-based comedians The Laughing Samoans for autographs hours before their final show in the capital.

The popular Pacific stand-up comedians Tofinga Fepuleai and Eteuati Ete said the response from locals was overwhelming and they were genuinely impressed by the support they received.

They promised to add some Fiji flavor to their final show.

The duo said they were keeping local humor close to heart and would work on a set of jokes using local slang words and expressions, particularly of Indian origin to use in latter shows they are planning.

"A lot of people have been teaching us words like bahut julum, baini and using some famous celebrity names and things like how Caucau (Rupeni) has come from France to Fiji,'' said Tofinga. "We otherwise would be working with...

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Solomon Star, Sept. 5) - Former Education Minister and Opposition Member of Parliament for Marovo, Mr. Snyder Rini says teachers are important to Solomon Islands and should be well paid.

He said teachers are teaching future leaders of Solomon Islands while others helped the country to meet its trained manpower requirements.

Rini made this statement after the Solomon Islands National Teachers Association (SINTA) gave a 28-day strike notice to the Ministry of Education on August 28.

SINTA had said its members would go on strike on September 28 if the government failed to settle their demands.

"I do not understand why the Grand Coalition for Change Government cannot meet the demands because the previous administration had allocated money to meet them under the 2006 National Budget," Rini said in a statement yesterday.

He said the National Coalition Opposition for Nation Building and Peace maintains its recognition of...

Seeto said University of the South Pacific tourism students should be encouraged to undertake some form of work experience during their semester breaks.

He was commenting on the number of USP students who graduated but lacked work experience.

"We have been in consultation with USP and the tourism department so that apart from the academic program, students undertake some form of experience," he said.

"I know that law and accounting students do this during their semester breaks and I think that tourism students should also get some experience. Apart from giving knowledge to the students it would also benefit the industry, which could choose its workers when...

HAGÃ TÃA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Sept. 5) - The Guam Election Commission once again failed to count electronic ballots cast in at least one village precinct during the Primary Election, and there possibly are six other precincts whose electronic ballots were not counted.

Election Commission Executive Director Gerald Taitano said he doesn't know what happened to 119 electronic ballots cast in the Asan/Maina precinct during Saturday's election, but speculated that the electronic card containing those ballots was not counted on election night. "We're looking into that," he said.

The commission members met yesterday and decided they could not certify the election results.

The Pacific Daily News noted that there are six other precincts for which electronic ballots have not been reported, and Taitano said he has not verified whether there were any electronic votes cast in those precincts. Election Commission Chairman Fred Horecky...

SUVA, Fiji (Oceania Flash, Sept. 5) – Leaders from the French Pacific overseas countries and territories (OCTs) are this week attending the annual summit of the EU member countries' dependencies and Brussels officials in Nuuk (Greenland).

The meeting started on Monday.

New Caledonia's employment and vocational training minister Alain Song is representing his country, which largely benefits from European Union funds for infrastructure and training projects.

The EU programme in New Caledonia, under the ninth European Development Fund (EDF), mainly focused on professional training and what is locally described as "economic and social re-balancing" between its three provinces.

In New Caledonia, some of the most significant projects include the new Nouméa aquarium, which gets some 6.2 million US dollars from Brussels as part of the EDF (European Development Fund).

But most of EU's money, under the current EDF (the ninth) is currently devoted to...

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (Samoa News, Sept. 5) - A Pago Pago "Aeto" [eagle] through and through, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Sifoa Loa, was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon beside his family's home in Pago Pago among family and friends. He was 32.

"I am an old man but I have a sharp memory," said Fuga Tolani Teleso, American Samoa Civilian Aid to the US Secretary of the Army. "It's raining because one of our sons have died."

Fuga, always quick to add humor to local Army gatherings brought laughs to the somber funeral ceremony on Saturday. He said when Brig. Gen. Gary M. Ishikawa arrived with the soldier's remains on Thursday they shared a conversation.

Ishikawa told Fuga that being born and raised in Hawaii he was a "firm believer in the Hawaiian way" and remarked on the rain that was unceasing. Fuga agreed with Ishikawa and said the rainy weather was due to the soldier's death.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.